The Heart Wants What It Wants
by Evesyface
Summary: Damon and Stefan Salvatore, two eternally young and strikingly handsome brothers return to their hometown with no intention to stick around. However, on May 23rd 2009, Damon meets the beautiful Elena Gilbert and finds himself wanting to get to know her. Stefan, not trusting his older brother sticks around to make sure Damon doesn't endanger Mystic Falls.
1. May 23rd

_May 23__rd__, 2009. _

"So, Damon… Tell me," Elena smirked, staring Damon directly in the eyes. "What is it that I want?"

"You want a love that consumes you." Damon responded, taking a few steps closer to Elena. His sky blue eyes stared straight into her soul. "You want passion, an adventure and even a little danger."

"So, what do _you_ want?" Elena's heart was racing, but she didn't want Damon to know that. If Elena was good at something, it was acting like she was calm and collected even when she wasn't.

Before Damon could respond, a car sped around the corner. The driver honked the horn a couple of times before Elena finally turned around. She identified her family car and turned back to see Damon before she left, but he was already gone. Elena scanned the area around her for a few seconds but Damon was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished. The horn went off again before Elena finally gave up her search and ran towards the car.

"Is everything okay, Elena?" Miranda Gilbert stepped out of the car and opened the door for Elena to climb in. She shot Elena a warm smile as she watched her daughter fasten her seatbelt. "What did Matt say?"

"He didn't say anything, Mom." Elena responded, taking her phone out of her pocket. She didn't want to have this conversation right now. All she wanted was to replay her encounter with the mysterious Damon over and over in her head. She had never met him before, but a part of her felt like she had known him for a lifetime.

"What do you mean he didn't say anything?" Miranda questioned, fastening her own seatbelt and signalling for her husband, Grayson Gilbert, to start driving. "Weren't you going to break up with him tonight? Isn't that why we let you ditch family night?"

"_Mom_," Elena pleaded, keeping her eyes glued to the phone screen in front of her. Matt was the last person she wanted to think about right now. All she could think about was Damon and his strikingly beautiful blue eyes. All she could think was how good he looked in all black. Elena felt her cheeks blushing slightly. She placed the back of her hand against her cheek to feel the warmth of the blush. It had been a long time since Elena had felt this way because of another person. She had always loved Matt Donovan, but her feelings were never anything more than friendship. Elena had tried to be more than friends with Matt for the sake of him, but it wasn't working and it would never work.

"Well, Elena," Miranda continued, ignoring her daughters pleas. "You'll need to tell him sometime. Let it be sooner than later, please. Matt is a sweet boy. He deserves to know the truth."

Elena rolled her eyes in response. As her mother was speaking, she had received a text message from her best friend, Bonnie Bennett. Bonnie was saying exactly what Elena's mother had just said.

'_Come on, Elena! This is Matt we are talking about. You can't keep stringing him along. He needs to know that you're not in it anymore. If you don't tell him, I will! I still love you even though you're being stupid, xo Bonnie' _

Elena laughed quietly at Bonnie's text. If anyone else had sent her the same text message, Elena probably would have been offended. When it was Bonnie however, she knew that her friend was just looking out for her. As Elena read over the text message a few times, her Mom and Dad talked loudly in the front of the car. Elena had learned to block it out this past year. She loved her parents with all of her heart, but she was coming to an age where she wanted to be independent. Her parents were not exactly the type to just let their beloved daughter do whatever she wanted. Elena sat in the back of the car in silence for most of the trip home. It wasn't until they reached Wickery Bridge that she felt herself start to scream. Everything started moving in slow motion. Elena watched on as her parents fiddled with their seatbelts until they finally got them off. Miranda turned to face Elena. She tried to hide her fear, but Elena could see right through her act. Miranda turned her whole body to help Elena with her seatbelt. All around Elena, everything was still happening in slow motion. The car drove off of the bridge and crashed into the water as Elena's mom continued to struggle with the seatbelt. Elena was still screaming underwater. Bubbles were coming out of her mouth as her face reflected sheer terror. Elena felt her father grab her hand. She locked eyes with her Dad and watched as he mouthed 'I love you'. The next few minutes were spent exchanging glances with her parents. Elena finally got her seatbelt off and tried to climb into the front to be with her parents. Her Dad continued to squeeze her hand affectionately. Miranda Gilbert's eyes started to close slowly as her body became limp. Elena watched on heartbroken as she saw her mother start to lose consciousness. Her body fell against the back of her chair as she just floated. Grayson watched the love of his life slowly start to stop moving. His heartbreak was reflected in his eyes. Elena watched the myriad of emotions that played through his expression. The three of them floated for a few more minutes. Elena felt herself start to lose consciousness. She tried to keep her eyes open by staring at her Dad intently. She didn't want to forget how he looked. She didn't want to forget his light blue button up shirt. She didn't want to forget how he looked at her with such an intense love. Elena didn't want to die without knowing how much her father and mother loved her. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, Elena saw movement from the corner of her eye. She was squinting now as it was too hard to keep her eyes open fully. There was more movement from outside the car. Elena watched as her Dad pointed forcefully towards her at whoever was moving around the car. Before she could see who it was, Elena's eyes shut. She couldn't keep them open anymore. Elena had lost consciousness.

* * *

><p><em>May 23<em>_rd__, 2010. _

_Dear Diary, _

_Today marks the one year anniversary of my mother's death. That's 365 days without my best friend. 365 days sounds like a long time, but I feel like I lost her just yesterday. Even though time has continued to go on, I still feel as if I am stuck in that car under the water with her. Everyone is moving on around me, while I am just stuck, constantly drowning in my own misery. How depressing is that? _

Elena watched as a tear fell from her face onto her diary. She tried to wipe it away without leaving a mark, but ended up smudging a few of the words she had just written.

"_Great_," She breathed, looking up from her diary. Elena had been sitting in a graveyard for over an hour now. It had become something of a daily routine for her. Every day at around 11am she would leave her house to come visit her mom. She would lie to her Dad and say that she was going for a run or visiting Bonnie. After a while Elena realised that her father was becoming heartbroken at the amount of times she was visiting the graveyard, which is why she decided she had to lie. After a few minutes of scanning the empty graveyard, Elena picked up her pen and started to write again.

_Dad wants me to go back to school after summer break. That's about a few months away. I told him that I still don't feel ready, but he won't hear of it anymore. He is sending Jeremy and I back to school. We still have a few months to convince him otherwise… but a part of me knows that this is it. After summer break, we are going back to school. I'm going to have to pretend that I'm okay. I'm going to have to go back being to the calm and collected Elena Gilbert that I was before my mom died. How am I supposed to do that, diary? The only social interaction I have had lately is with Bonnie and even then I don't say much. It's mostly just Bonnie filling me in on all the goss. The weird part is… I don't even care about high school gossip anymore. Apparently when your mother dies, you really start to see life in perspective… and high school gossip is nothing. I won't admit that to Bonnie though. That's the only thing that she can think to talk to me about nowadays. _

_I don't know, diary… I just don't feel like I will ever be ready to go back to that school. I don't think I'll ever be ready to face everyone again. _

Elena looked up from her diary. She had been distracted by a crow sitting on her mother's grave stone. Elena felt as if the crow was staring straight at her.

"Shoo!" Elena yelled, standing up to shoo the bird away. Even when Elena was close enough to touch the bird, it wouldn't budge. She waved her hands in front of the birds face and around its body in an attempt to get it to fly away. There was still no luck. After a few minutes of flinging her hands around like a mad person, the crow finally flew away. Elena was caught off guard by the sudden movement of the seemingly unmoveable bird and found herself losing her footing. Within seconds she had fallen face first on the ground, scratching her forehead against a sharp rock.

"_Ow_," Elena groaned, touching her open wound with her fingers. "That's great. Now I'm bleeding."

Elena stood up slowly, making sure she had restored her balance before bending down to pick up her diary and pen. The wound on her forehead continued to bleed as Elena reached into her bag to find a tissue. When she found one, she placed it against her cut to wipe away the blood. Behind her, Elena heard a twig snap. There was someone else in the graveyard with her now, but she couldn't see anyone. Without even noticing it, Elena was now surrounded by a light fog. The fog travelled from where she was sitting around the whole graveyard, making it hard for her to see anything.

"Hello?" Elena whispered into the fog. Her heart was racing now. She knew that someone else was in the graveyard with her, but she still couldn't see them. "Is there someone out there?"

Elena waited for a response, her palms starting to sweat as her heartbeat got faster and faster. There was another snap of a twig but still no verbal reply. Elena didn't want to wait around anymore to find out who else was there. Whoever it was was being too silent for her liking. As Elena was turning to leave, she found herself face to face with a strikingly handsome, dark-haired man. His light blue eyes narrowed at her as the side of his mouth twitched slightly.

"_Elena_," The dark-haired man whispered, smiling down at her. He seemed amused by her obvious discomfort, which made his next few words hard to believe, "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

Elena looked up at him in bewilderment. This was the last person she had expected to see. It had been exactly a year since she had last seen him. Even though she had never forgotten him, she had accepted that she may never see him again.

"_Damon?_"


	2. Mixed Feelings

Stefan Salvatore crouched behind a gravestone in the Mystic Falls graveyard. All around him there was fog, which would make it hard for the average person to see. Stefan, however, was not the average person which made his current job easy. A little further within the graveyard, there were two figures standing and chatting. One of the figures was a petite, average-height girl with long, straight brown hair. The other figure was a taller, much eviler looking individual with black hair and light blue eyes. Stefan watched on as the two figures talked casually. Occasionally Stefan would hear the girl laugh. Her laugh was light but there was something about it that sent shivers through Stefan's spine. There was a part of him that could feel the hurt the girl was feeling, even in her laugh. It was a pain that Stefan could identify with: _loss_.

"Where have you been, Damon?" Stefan heard the girl ask. Even though the two figures were a fair distance away, Stefan's hearing was better than most. "We met and then all of a sudden you were nowhere to be seen… for a _year_."

"Oh, you know, I've been out and about." Damon responded, flashing the girl his million dollar smile. Stefan rolled his eyes; he had seen Damon flash that same smile to hundreds of different girls over the years. "But I'm more interested in what you've been up to since I last saw you, _beautiful_ Elena."

Stefan could almost feel Elena's blood rushing to her face as she blushed at Damon's compliment. As he was fixed on her face, Stefan noticed the cut on the right side of her forehead. It was a fairly new wound that was still bleeding. All of a sudden, Stefan could no longer hear what the two were talking about. All he could see, smell and feel was Elena's blood. For a few minutes, Stefan had to shut his eyes in order to ignore any urges he was currently feeling. He felt the blood rush underneath his eyes, causing the veins to become visible.

"_Deep breaths,_" He whispered to himself, keeping his eyes shut. Stefan took ten deeps breaths before he opened his eyes again. His veins were no longer visible and his eyes were no longer outlined in blood red. When he looked towards the area where the two individuals were chatting, they were nowhere to be seen. Stefan stood up straight and scanned the graveyard for any sign of movement. The fog was starting to fade around Stefan as he turned around to scan the area behind him. They were still nowhere to be seen. It seemed as if Stefan was the only one left in the graveyard. After a few moments, Stefan gave up on searching for them and turned to leave the graveyard, only to be faced with the dark-haired individual.

"Hello, _brother." _He said, narrowing his sapphire blue eyes at Stefan.

"Damon." Stefan responded coldly, the initial shock wiped from his face. Stefan stared at Damon with a hard expression, trying to ignore the fact that he had been caught spying on his brother.

"You really need to get better at this whole spying thing," Damon laughed coolly as he patted his younger brother on the shoulder, "If I'm the one who is sneaking up on you, then you must be doing something wrong."

Stefan narrowed his brown eyes at Damon. Even his smile was making Stefan feel irritated. Before Stefan could even speak, Damon had his hands on his neck and face.

"See you later, _brother_." Damon snarled before snapping Stefan's neck.

* * *

><p>After her second encounter with Damon Salvatore in the cemetery, Elena rushed over to Bonnie's house. When Elena had first seen Damon, she wasn't sure that he had even existed. They had only talked for a few minutes before he was gone and she got into a car that drove off of Wickery Bridge. Elena had told her best friend, Bonnie Bennett, about her first encounter with Damon but after a while it had all seemed like a figment of her imagination.<p>

"I've got to tell Bonnie that he's real!" Elena said under breath as she ran in the direction of the Bennett house. Even though Elena had been pretty fit in the past due to her involvement as a cheerleader at her school, it had been a long time since she had run such a far distance. By the time she had reached Bonnie's house, Elena was out of breath. For a few moments, Elena just stood on Bonnie's door step trying to catch her breath. Before she could even knock, the door opened.

"Elena?" Bonnie stood at the door looking at her best friend in confusion. She furrowed her brows above her eyes as she watched Elena trying to catch her breath. "Did you run here or something?"

"H-how…" Elena responded between sharp breaths, "D-did you know I was here?"

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders in response, "I had a feeling someone was waiting outside, so I came to have a look."

"A feeling…" Elena nodded, slightly narrowing her eyes at Bonnie. The two girls had been friends for as long as they could remember. All through their lives together, Bonnie had always been talking about 'feelings' she would have. Elena had only just started to learn to trust in Bonnie's feelings, as they were usually right. "Okay then. Anyway, Bonnie! You'll never guess who I ran into today…"

As Bonnie was opening her mouth to speak, a figure emerged from behind. It was Bonnie's father.

"Hello, Elena." He smiled weakly, stepping outside the door. "I didn't expect to see you today. How are you feeling?"

For a split second, Elena had forgotten that it was the anniversary of her mother's death. Elena felt her heart sink as she looked at the sad expressions looking down at her. Bonnie and her father were two of the most caring people she knew and in this moment they were both looking down at her sadly. Elena closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm fine!" She blurted out; causing Bonnie and her father to step back in shock. "I just need to talk to Bonnie for a bit. Is it okay if we go to the grill, Mr. Hopkins?"

Elena stared at Mr. Hopkins fiercely before flashing him a big smile. When she really wanted something, Elena would narrow her eyes just slightly to show that she meant business and then she would flash people her trademark smile. Before Mr. Hopkins could respond, Elena grabbed Bonnie by the arm and dragged her down the street.

"Be home by 5, Bonnie Bennett!" Her dad yelled from the door step, still feeling a little taken aback. He had watched Elena and Bonnie grow up together and still he was amazed at how Elena somehow managed to always get her way.

It didn't take too long for Elena and Bonnie to get to the grill. When they arrived, they found themselves surrounded by practically the whole school. Elena had forgotten that it was a Saturday. Everyone in Mystical Falls spent their Saturday afternoon at the Grill.

"Are you sure you want to talk here?" Bonnie asked, watching Elena's expression to make sure she was okay. "We can always go to the park or something."

Elena stared straight ahead. Her expression was hard and unreadable. From around the room, different people were looking up to see Elena standing at the entrance. It had been over a year since some of the students at her high school had even seen her. Suddenly the noise in the Grill had dropped significantly. Everyone around Bonnie and Elena were beginning to whisper as they stared. Elena continued to stare straight on, trying her best to ignore her surroundings. Before Bonnie could speak again, Elena made her way towards a table in the middle of the room. There weren't many left. Bonnie pulled out a chair for herself and watched on as Elena sat down, continuing to just stare without speaking. For a few seconds the two friends sat in silence. Bonnie looked around the room at everyone staring at them. No one was talking loudly anymore. Everyone was whispering.

"I thought she moved to another town," Someone whispered into their friend's ear.

"I heard that she didn't leave her bed for a whole year!" Someone else whispered.

Elena flinched at the sound of everyone whispering to each other about where she had disappeared to. Bonnie watched on as Elena's fists started to clench at her sides. Elena was angry. Bonnie could _feel_ her anger.

"Elena Gilbert!" Suddenly Damon was pulling out a seat next to Elena, flashing his sharp and white teeth in a big smile. "Fancy seeing you again. Twice in one day… I must be one lucky guy."

Elena's fists started to slowly unclench as she let out a small sigh. She hadn't even realised she was holding her breath. Across the table, Bonnie was staring at Damon in disbelief. He matched Elena's description of the man she met on the night that her mother passed away. Even though her mouth was hanging open, Bonnie couldn't get any words out. She wasn't usually one to be speechless, but Damon's radiance and surreal good looks made it hard to speak.

"Hi there," Damon said, sticking his hand out for Bonnie to shake. "I'm Damon Salvatore. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"H-he's real?" Bonnie tried to whisper to Elena, but she was so shocked that it came out a lot louder than she had intended. Damon chucked as he reached for Bonnie's hand and initiated the handshake himself. Bonnie's eyes widened as she snatched her hand back. When Damon had grabbed her hand, she had felt a shock through her whole body. Her body told her that there was something very wrong with Damon.

"He's real." Elena nodded, staring directly at Damon. When he felt her eyes on him, Damon shifted his gaze from Bonnie to Elena. He shot her a wide smile before he stood up.

"Are you two hungry?" He asked, gesturing towards the bar. "Should I order us some food? It's on me."

Elena looked at Bonnie to see if she was hungry. Bonnie was still staring intently at Damon. She narrowed her eyes at him and furrowed her brows. Bonnie took her eyes away from Damon and stared at Elena, her eyes wide.

"I have…" She began, lowering her voice into a whisper. "I have a bad feeling about him, Elena."

"I'll take that as a yes then!" Damon announced loudly as he turned to go and order food. He turned back for a split second and caught Elena's eyes. When their eyes locked, Damon winked and shot Elena a half-smile.

"I have a _really_ good feeling about him, Bonnie." Elena admitted, feeling herself start to blush.

* * *

><p>When Stefan finally woke up, he found himself still in the cemetery. Slowly his memory of what happened just before he hit the ground came back to him. Damon's voice started to ring in his ears. <em>See you later, brother. <em>

Stefan got up slowly, groaning at how stiff he felt. Damon had snapped his neck, causing him to 'die' however Stefan was already dead. The only effect the neck-snapping really had was causing Stefan to become unconscious for a small amount of time. Stefan noticed that the fog that was surrounding the cemetery before he was 'killed' was gone. It didn't take him long to realise that Damon had been the one making the fog. The thought of Damon started to irritate Stefan again. As he slowly started to feel less and less stiff, Stefan made his way out of the cemetery. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he found himself walking through a small forest. His senses started to come back to him as he continued to walk. When he could finally smell again, Stefan stopped dead in his tracks. He could smell blood. All of a sudden, Stefan started to feel hungry again. His feet led him in the direction of the blood, only to find himself crouching over a middle-aged woman. The woman was bleeding profusely from her neck. Stefan noticed that her eyes were still open and blinking but her mouth was shut.

"She's been compelled…" Stefan whispered to himself, trying to ignore the hunger he was feeling. He closed his eyes when he started to feel the blood pumping under his eyes. Slowly the red veins started to appear again. Stefan felt his eyes go blood red. The woman who he was crouching next to only widened her eyes in fear, but still said nothing. Stefan could tell that she wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Someone had compelled her to stay silent. As he tried to ignore the hunger, Stefan noticed a piece of paper in the woman's pocket. He reached for it and started to read:

_Here you go, brother. I figured you might be a little bit hungry when you woke up… so here are some of my leftovers. Go crazy. Seriously, go insane. Kill her. I'm finished with her. Just think how thankful all those squirrels and deer will be when they see you feeding on humans again. You're welcome. _

_Damon _

Stefan scrunched the paper up and threw it angrily into the forest. He shut his eyes and took ten deep breaths until he felt the veins disappear under his eyes. When he had composed himself, he turned towards the woman again. Stefan took a bite out of his wrist, causing it to bleed. When he had some of his blood coming out of his wrist, he knelt down next to the woman and opened her mouth. She started to drink his blood. Stefan watched as the wound on her neck started to heal. When it was fully healed, he lifted her up so that she was sitting upright. Stefan placed his hands on her face and looked her directly in the eyes. As his pupils got smaller, Stefan began to speak.

"You're going to forget about everything that happened to you in this forest and you're going to _run_ as far away from me as you can."

When he finished speaking, the woman stood up abruptly and ran in the direction of the town. Stefan watched her, trying his best not to follow. Damon had succeeded slightly. Stefan was now extremely hungry. When the woman was no longer in sight, Stefan focused on his hearing. He shut his eyes and waited until he heard a deer somewhere far behind him. When Stefan figured out exactly where the deer was, he ran as fast as he could towards it. The deer let out a cry of pain as Stefan suddenly dug his teeth into its abdomen and eventually killed it.

"Sorry bambi." He whispered as he stepped over the limp body of the deer and made his way back into town.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Diary, <em>

_I finally saw Damon again today. It's been a year since I saw him last. I honestly didn't think I would ever see him again. But I am glad that I did. He still looks exactly the same as he did when I first met him. Is it weird that my heart races even when I'm just writing about him? I mean, I know I hardly know him but a part of me feels like I do. I feel like I've known him for a lifetime. I have never felt this way about anyone… ever. I want to see him again. I NEED TO SEE HIM AGAIN. _

_Bonnie has a bad feeling about him. I know that her 'feelings' are usually right, but I truly think she is wrong about Damon. I think maybe she's a little bit jealous that he's my mysterious stranger and not hers. Honestly, diary, I don't blame her. Have you seen Damon? He is supernaturally attractive. I've never seen anyone so… HOT! All I know for sure is that I want to see him again tomorrow… When I'm with him, I feel like myself. I haven't felt like myself since Mom died. It… feels good._

_-I've got to go, diary. Dad is calling me down for dinner. I'll write again tomorrow. Hopefully I see Damon again. _

_Elena__. _


	3. Animal Attacks

Elena awoke the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing. Reluctantly climbing out of bed, Elena grabbed her phone and looked at the Caller ID. It was her friend Caroline Forbes. Elena took a deep breath before she clicked the answer button. A few months had passed since Elena last spoke to Caroline. Their last conversation wasn't a pleasant one. Caroline had yelled at Elena for wallowing in "self-pity" over her mother's death and for letting her life pass her by.

"Elena? Are you there?" Caroline asked as soon as Elena had clicked answer, "How are you?"

Elena took another big breath before she spoke. She hadn't even managed to get one word out before Caroline had asked a couple of questions.

"I'm here," Elena responded quietly, rubbing her eyes. "What's up, Caroline?"

"I heard you were at the Mystic Grill yesterday!" Caroline exclaimed excitedly. Elena had to move the phone from her ear as Caroline's voice started to get higher and louder, "How was that?! Why didn't you tell me you and Bon were going to be there? I would've come too!"

_I wonder why I didn't tell you… _Elena thought to herself, rolling her eyes.

"So anyway, there was a reason I called you this morning!" Caroline saidloudly. Elena could practically hear Caroline's smile in her voice.

"There always is a reason." Elena said out loud, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. She had meant to keep that in her head.

"What was that?" Caroline asked before she continued talking anyway, "Not important. I called because I'm having a small party at the grill tonight and since you seem to be getting better, I was hoping you would come! Bonnie's coming too!"

"Oh… I don't know, Care." Elena responded, taking a seat on her bed. Before she protested more, she had a feeling that Caroline wasn't going to take no for answer. "But… I guess I can drop in. What time does it start?"

Elena heard Caroline let out an excited shriek on the other side of the line. She could hear Caroline jumping up and down in her room. Elena rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. Caroline was intense, but she was also one of the only good things in Elena's life.

"It starts at 7!" She responded finally, "I'm so excited! Can't wait to see you! I have someone you need to meet!"

Before Elena could respond, Caroline had hung up. Elena stared at her phone for a few moments before she let out a small laugh and placed it back down on her bedside table.

"This'll be interesting…" Elena whispered to herself as she fell back onto her bed.

* * *

><p>The sun woke Damon up a lot earlier than he had wanted to be awakened. Damon groaned as he covered his face under his bed sheets. After a few minutes of hiding under his covers, he got out of bed to check the time.<p>

"11a.m," He breathed, falling back onto his bed. "Too early."

He lay there for a few more minutes before getting up again. Damon knew that no matter how hard he tried to fall back asleep, he wouldn't be able to. As he groaned to himself, Damon stripped down and changed into his usual black skinny jeans, black shirt and black leather jacket. He walked over to the closet in his room and found his black boots and put them on as fast as he could. Now that he was more awake, Damon was aware of the intense hunger he was feeling.

"Breakfast time." He whispered to himself, smirking slightly. Once his shoes were tied up, he ran out of his room and then out of the door of his mansion. It didn't take him long to find something to eat. Damon scanned the area to see if there were any other witnesses before he approached the young woman in front of him.

"Hello there," Damon spoke seductively, flashing his million dollar smile at the woman, "I'm a little lost… Would you be able to show me the way into town?"

The young woman turned to face Damon with an expression he was so used to seeing. People were usually amazed at how handsome Damon was and how weird it was that he was speaking to them with… with _that_ smile.

"I-I'm sorry,"The woman stuttered awkwardly, not able to take her eyes off of Damon's beautiful blue ones, "I'm lost myself. I'm not actually from here… I'm only here to visit my niece and nephew for the week."

Damon continued to smile, taking a step closer to the woman. Before he spoke again, Damon waited for his pupils to become smaller. "What's your name, beautiful?"

The woman's bewildered expression faded and her face went hard before she responded, "Jenna. Jenna Sommers."

"Well, _Jenna_," Damon said seductively, taking a few more steps closer until their faces were almost touching, "I'm not actually lost. Truth is, I'm _hungry_ and I think you can help me with that."

"I-I can?" Jenna stuttered, her face remaining expressionless.

"Oh yes…" Damon whispered, flashing a seductive half-smile. Within seconds, Damon's teeth were protruding as he dug them into Jenna's neck. Jenna let out a shriek of pain, causing Damon to remove his teeth from her neck momentarily. Damon placed his hands against Jenna's terrified face, before staring her directly in the eyes.

"Don't scream," Damon demanded, his pupils becoming smaller. "Don't be afraid."

The fear on Jenna's face disappeared and was replaced with a cold and hard expression. She nodded before tilting her neck for Damon to bite into again. Damon smiled before he started to feed again.

* * *

><p>"Jenna! Jenna, where are you?!" Elena screamed desperately. She had heard Jenna's scream from earlier and was running through the forest to find her beloved Aunt. Damon flinched at the sound of Elena's voice and retracted his fangs from Jenna's neck. Damon focused his hearing on Elena. She wasn't too far now. It wouldn't be long before she found Jenna. Damon placed his hands on Jenna's shoulders and spoke quickly,<p>

"_You were attacked by an animal_," He whispered, once again staring directly into Jenna's eyes, "_It came out of nowhere and you were caught off guard._ _You never saw me_."

Damon watched as Jenna nodded slightly before he dropped her on the ground and ran to hide behind a tree. Within seconds, Elena was at Jenna's side in hysterics.

"Oh my god! Aunt Jenna?!" Elena let out a loud cry as she stroked her Aunt's hair, "J-Jenna, stay with me, _please_! I-I'll call for help."

Elena fumbled to find her phone in her pocket. Her hands and her whole body were shaking as the tears rolled down her face. Damon watched on curiously. It had been a long time since he had seen someone with such intense emotions. He usually didn't stick around to see how the family and friends of his victims would react. Damon felt a pang of guilt as he watched Elena attempt to call for help. Without a thought, Damon was at Elena's side. He snatched the phone out of her hands and dialed the number for her. Elena was too shaken up to do it herself. As he called the ambulance, Elena watched on. Damon spoke quickly to the authorities. He let them know where they were before hanging up the phone.

"The ambulance is on its way." Damon said, looking directly at Elena. Her crying had stopped but her face was tear-stained. Damon felt a pang of an emotion he wasn't used to feeling. He couldn't even tell what it was; he wasn't used to feeling anything.

"T-thank you so much, Damon!" Elena stuttered, the tears falling down her face again. Damon was crouching next to Elena as he watched her break down. Elena all of a sudden wrapped her arms around Damon and cried onto his shirt, "I don't know what I would've done without you."

Damon sat there for a moment, not moving at all. Elena continued to hug him as she cried. When Damon didn't hug her back after a while, she removed her arms and looked up at him in confusion. Damon stared back at her for a few seconds before he stood up.

"Don't worry about it." He responded coldly, brushing off the dirt on his pants before he walked away. Elena watched Damon's back as he walked in the direction of town. She stood up abruptly, wiping the tears from her face.

"Damon?" She yelled after him, "Where are you going?"

There was no response. As Elena waited, the ambulance appeared. Elena took her eyes off of Damon for a split second to acknowledge the paramedics, but when she turned back he was gone. Elena took a deep breath before running back to Jenna's side.

"It'll be okay, Jenna." She breathed, stroking her Aunt's hair, "You're going to be okay."

* * *

><p>Stefan sat in the crowded Mystic Grill. He had been reluctant in coming, but there was someone he was hoping to see. As Stefan sat silently, he watched as more and more people made their way in. Each time someone new arrived, Stefan looked to see if it was who he was looking for and every time it wasn't. Stefan let out a sigh as he was disappointed again.<p>

"Stefan!" A voice exclaimed, "You came."

Stefan looked up to see who was talking to him. His eyes met with the eyes of a beautiful blonde. Her eyes were a mixture of blue and little bit of green. Stefan watched as the girl took a seat next to him and grabbed his hand.

"I'm so happy you did!" The girl said excitedly, squeezing his hand. "Are you having fun?"

"It's Caroline, right?" Stefan responded, ignoring her question. The girl raised her eyebrows and nodded hesitantly.

"Yes…" Caroline replied, narrowing her eyes at Stefan. She wasn't used to having to repeat her name. Most boys that Caroline spent time with were hung up on her every move and never forgot her name. Not once.

"I'm having an okay time," Stefan breathed, scooting closer to Caroline. "But there's something I want to ask you."

Caroline's eyes lit up as she scooted closer to Stefan. Soon they were sitting hip to hip. Stefan turned his torso to face Caroline and flashed a warm smile. When he had Caroline's undivided attention he stared her straight in the eyes.

"Are you friends with Elena Gilbert?" Stefan asked, letting his pupils become smaller. When Caroline nodded, he continued. "Is she coming to your party tonight?"

"I invited her," Caroline answered. Her voice was robotic. "She said she would drop in."

Stefan smiled at Caroline before he spoke again, "Thank you, Caroline. _Go and entertain some other guest and forget we had this conversation._"

Caroline blinked a few times before walking away. Stefan sunk back into his chair and waited for Elena to arrive. An hour went by and there was still no sign of her. Stefan was about to get up and leave when someone ran through the door screaming. Before the person could speak to anyone, Stefan ran up to them and grabbed them by the shoulders.

"_Calm down_, "He demanded softly, looking at the individual in the eyes. "_Come outside and tell me what you are frightened of_."

The boy stopped screaming and followed Stefan outside. The Mystic Grill broke out into chatter once again. Everyone was too drunk to take notice of what just happened. Once they were outside, Stefan waited for the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy to speak.

"My sister was attacked by another person," The boy explained, his voice filled with no emotion, "They drained her of all her blood."

"What did this other person look like?" Stefan asked. His first assumption was that it was Damon.

"They had dark hair… and were wearing all black, but I couldn't see their face. I don't even know if it was a boy or a girl."

Stefan narrowed his eyes. Damon wore all black constantly. His first and only thought was that Damon must have done this.

"Where is your sister now?"

"She's behind my truck."

Stefan followed as the boy led him to where his sister's body was. When they found her, Stefan could tell that it was too late to save her. Once again Stefan placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"What is your name?"

"Matt Donovan."

Stefan smiled weakly at Matt before he spoke again, "Okay Matt, _you're going to_ _take your sister to the hospital and tell the authorities that she was attacked by an animal in the forest. When you found her, she was still alive but the drive to the hospital was too long and she ended up bleeding to death in your truck."_

Matt nodded before he picked his sister up and placed her in the back of his truck. Stefan watched as Matt climbed in and drove in the direction of the hospital. As the truck drove out of sight, Stefan let out a sigh. He was used to cleaning up Damon's mess, but this went a little too far. Usually Damon didn't attack someone in such a public place and then just leave their body to be found. As Stefan pondered on this, someone emerged from behind him.

"What- _what the hell_ just happened?" A small but angry voice asked, causing Stefan to turn abruptly. When he was finally facing the direction of the voice, he found himself face to face with Bonnie Bennett.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, Caroline," Elena apologized over the phone, "Jenna had to be taken to hospital. I really was planning on coming."<p>

Elena shut her eyes as she listened to Caroline explain how badly the party went. A part of Elena wanted to just hang up the phone but she knew that she wouldn't hear the end of it.

"To make things worse," Caroline continued, gritting her teeth, "Stefan didn't even stick around. I didn't even get to talk to him! I remember walking over to him… but I don't remember speaking to him."

"Wait, who's Stefan?" Elena asked, finally interested in the conversation. Mystic Falls was a relatively small town. Everyone knew everyone. There were hardly any new residents and hardly anyone ever moved.

"Stefan is… _beautiful_," Caroline sighed, lovingly. "He is so attractive, Elena. I've never seen anyone who looks like him. I think I'm in love."

Elena rolled her eyes before asking again, "No, Care. Who _is_ he? I've never met him before."

"Well, that's what you get for living in your room for over a year." Caroline blurted out. Within seconds, she was apologising. Elena let out a laugh to let Caroline know it was okay.

"His name is Stefan Salvatore. He is new in town. His uncle Zach lives in Mystic Falls so Stefan has moved here to stay with him." Caroline explained happily.

Elena's breathing stopped for a split second. _Salvatore? Like Damon Salvatore?_ She thought to herself. As Elena pondered on this, Caroline continued talking about why Stefan was the most beautiful boy she had ever met. This went on for a few minutes before Elena was distracted by someone rushing into the hospital. It was Matt.

"I've got to call you back, Care." Elena whispered, hanging up the phone before Caroline responded. She walked over to the door of Jenna's room and hid behind it as she watched Matt walk over to the desk. In his arms Matt was holding the limp body of his younger sister, Vicki. Elena let out a small gasp as she ran out of the room to Matt's side. When he saw her, Matt's cold expression transitioned into a sad one.

"Oh god, Matt," Elena whispered, squeezing his upper arm, "W-what happened?"

Before Matt could respond, a doctor grabbed Vicki out of Matt's hands and took her into surgery. Matt walked over to a waiting-room chair and collapsed against it. Elena took a seat next to him and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Matt, what happened?"

"It was an animal attack. When I found her she was still alive. But the drive to the hospital was too long and she ended up bleeding to death in my truck." Matt answered, sounding almost robotic. Elena lifted her head from his shoulder and examined his expression. Matt's face was hard with no signs of any sort of emotion. Before she could ask any more questions, Matt was approached by the police and taken for questioning. Elena walked back to Jenna's room and took a seat. Elena reached for her bag and took out her diary and began to write:

_Dear Diary,_

_Today has been such a surreal day. First, Jenna calls me to tell say she is lost in the forest near the town. That wasn't out of character… Jenna is always getting lost. What was weird was that when I found her, she had… she had a big open wound on her neck. Something had bitten her. It looked as if whatever it was had drained a lot of her blood too – isn't that weird? _

Elena shuddered. Thinking back to when she found Jenna made her stomach churn.

_But that isn't all. When I was trying to call for help, Damon came out of nowhere. He took my phone and he called the ambulance for me. I was too shocked to do anything really. It was so nice of him to do that for me… But where did he come from? He just appeared out of nowhere! And the weirdest thing is that he was just gone again. _

Elena shut her eyes briefly and thought backto when she had watched Damon walk away. All of a sudden he was there in the forest and the next he was just… gone. Elena took a deep breath before she continued to write:

_Matt is in the hospital now too. Well, he was. I'm not sure where he is now. I think maybe they took him to the police station for q_u_estioning. His little sister Vicki… she didn't look too good. She was pale! More pale than I have ever seen anyone look. It didn't look like she had any blood flowing through her body at all. Matt says that she bled out in his truck – but how would he know that she had completely bled out? He isn't a surgeon. When he told me, he didn't sound scared or sad or anything. He sounded like a robot which is totally out of character for him. I'm worried about him and I'm worried about Vicki. I hope she's okay. They took her into surgery. _

_I hope Jenna's okay too. The doctor said that she's recovering well and is very lucky. Something about it being a miracle… _

Elena lifted her hand to wipe away the tears that were forming in her eyes. She took another deep breath and placed her pen back on the paper:

_This is so weird. Jenna told the police that she was attacked by an animal, too. Two animal attacks in one day? What kind of animal is out there in Mystic Falls that would do such a thing? It seems odd to me. I really hope the police find out what's going on sooner than later before anyone else gets hurt. _

_I've gotta go diary. Jenna is waking up. I'll write again soon when I find out any more information about these "animal attacks" _

_Elena _


	4. Bad Blood

After fleeing from Jenna and Elena, Damon had tried to find ways to distract himself. His first idea was feeding on someone to take his mind off of what had just happened. It had been a long time since Damon had _felt_ anything. His mind was still rushing with questions about it. What had he been feeling when he saw Elena in hysterics? Why had he helped her and the woman he had just fed on? Damon banged his head against the nearest tree in an attempt to shut off his thoughts. Shutting his eyes, Damon used his senses to try and find the nearest human to feed on. Within minutes, he could smell blood. Damon's eyes shot open as he legs led him towards the bleeding human. When he found her, she was already on the ground with an open neck wound. Damon smiled to himself as he started to give himself over to the hunger. Under his eyes, red veins started to show as his eyes turned blood red. His fangs began to protrude as he took a step closer to the wounded girl. Just as Damon was about to feed, he heard someone appear from behind him. It was a young boy, about Elena's age. He had blonde hair and innocent blue eyes. The boy let out a gasp as he saw Damon's teeth almost dig into the girl's neck.

"V-vicki?!" The boy screamed, staring at Damon in fear. "W-what are you doing to my sister?"

Damon sighed angrily. He didn't have time for this. Without a though, Damon sped away into the night leaving the innocent blue-eyed boy with his injured sister.

"Technically I didn't do anything," Damon said to himself when he was far enough away from the scene, "I found her like that. But you wouldn't believe me anyway, _blue-eyes_."

* * *

><p>"What <em>are<em> you?"

After Bonnie had caught Stefan telling Matt what to do, she had followed him into the forest. Stefan refused to speak in public, so she had no choice but to follow him. Even though it was dark and they were the only two in the forest, Bonnie wasn't afraid.

"You aren't scared of me?" Stefan asked, finally turning around to face Bonnie. He had been silent during the whole walk into the forest. Once they were far within the forest, he finally turned to face Bonnie. Stefan half expected to see Bonnie looking at him, terrified but instead he was faced with an irritated expression.

"Why would I be scared of you?" Bonnie responded, her voice hard. "You didn't hurt Vicki."

Stefan tilted his head to the side as he examined Bonnie's expression. Her face was as hard as her voice. There was not even a hint of fear in her eyes.

"How do you know that I didn't?"

"_Did_ you?"

"No, but…"

Bonnie crossed her arms against her chest, "I had a feeling you didn't."

Stefan narrowed his eyes at the small girl in front of him, "A _feeling_?"

Bonnie nodded. She was tired of people questioning her feelings. She had been having these "feelings" for as long as she could remember. Stefan was just going to be another person to add to her list of people who don't believe her. So far Elena was the only person on the list of people who actually trust her feelings… sometimes.

"I see…" Stefan breathed, looking Bonnie dead in the eyes. "How long have you been having these feelings?"

"For as long as I can remember…" Bonnie stared at Stefan with a confused expression for a split second before she continued, "But that isn't what we were talking about. I asked you a question. What are you? What did you do to Matt?"

For a few seconds, Stefan didn't say anything. He stood in silence, playing Bonnie's questions through his head. He hadn't decided whether or not he was going to tell her the truth or just compel her to forget what she saw. The latter would probably be the easier option. Stefan took a few steps closer to Bonnie and looked her straight in the eyes. As his pupils started to minimize, Stefan spoke in a soothing tone,

"_You're going to forget what you saw today_," He whispered, not taking his eyes off of hers, "_You never saw me or Matt. You left the Grill to go for a walk in the forest_."

"Uh…" Bonnie shook her head and shut her eyes for a split second before speaking again, "No I didn't? I left the Grill to find out what the hell you were doing to my friend Matt."

Stefan took a step back from Bonnie. He hadn't expected her to respond. _The compulsion didn't work_? He thought to himself, staring Bonnie up and down. There were only two possible explanations for this that Stefan could think of: She had vervain in her system or she's a witch. Before Stefan had made himself known in the community, he checked the town's water supply for vervain. He hadn't picked up on any.

"You're a Bennett witch." Stefan said matter-of-factly.

Bonnie looked at Stefan like he was crazy, "A _witch_? Are you insane?"

* * *

><p>Elena had spent the night at Jenna's side, even though the nurses and doctors had advised against it. They had all told her that Jenna probably wouldn't be waking up anytime soon and that she should go home and rest. Elena had ignored their advice and slept on the chair next to her Aunt's bed. When morning came around, the sun shone through the blinds in Jenna's room. Elena squinted at the light before stretching and opening her eyes slowly. Her whole body was stiff.<p>

"Apparently sleeping on a chair for a whole night isn't the most comfortable," She whispered to herself as she stretched some more.

"I could have told you that." A voice said from outside the room. Elena jumped to her feet and found herself staring at a tall, dark-haired boy… again.

"_Damon_…" She breathed, touching her lips gently. His name always escaped her lips so freely. "W-what are you doing here?"

Damon took a hesitant step into the room before walking over to Jenna's bed, "I came to check on her. How's she doing?"

Elena stared at Damon intently. It was impossible for her to ever take her eyes off of him. He was beautiful.

"The doctors say she's recovering well. She should wake up anytime now." Elena responded, `keeping her eyes on Damon. She was scared that if she turned away for even a second, he would disappear again. Each time she saw him, Elena was scared that it might be the last time. She didn't know anything about him besides his name. She didn't even know if he lived in Mystic Falls or was just visiting.

"That's good to hear," Damon breathed, taking a step away from Jenna and another towards the door. Elena watched as he turned to leave. To her disbelief, Elena felt a pang of sadness in her chest. Watching him walk away was hurting her.

"Wait, Damon," She whispered, following him out the door. "Can I meet you at the Grill later to talk?"

Damon stopped in his tracks and turned to face Elena. His eyes reflected an emotion so strong that Elena had never truly witnessed before. She couldn't even put her finger on it. Was it passion? Lust? Both?

"You want to meet at the Grill?" Damon responded, sounding tired. Whatever emotion Elena had thought she saw in his eyes, it was no longer there. Elena flinched at how bored Damon sounded. All of a sudden she was regretting asking him to the Grill. She wasn't used to boys questioning her. If she asked to meet them somewhere, they would just nod excitedly. Elena let her head drop shamefully as she turned to walk back to Jenna's room. Before she made it all the way back, she felt Damon's eyes piercing into her soul.

"I'll be there," He said, smiling at Elena seductively. "See you at 6, _Elena Gilbert_."

* * *

><p>"You think you're a what?" Bonnie's father had been reading the newspaper when his daughter ran into the house, searching for answers, "A <em>witch<em>?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes impatiently. After her discussion with Stefan in the forest, Bonnie had never felt more alive. At first she was skeptical, but after listening to Stefan's explanation, she believed him. Her _feelings_ told her to trust in him. All she needed now was to find out any information from her father.

"Yes, Dad," Bonnie responded, no hint of sarcasm or humor in her voice, "I'm a witch! A Bennett witch! Was Mom a witch too?"

Mr. Hopkins placed the newspaper down on the table next to his chair and looked up at Bonnie is disbelief. His daughter was not one to play games like this. As he was about to scold her for being ridiculous, someone emerged from the kitchen.

"Rudy," The figure said softly, walking into the room slowly. "There is no more milk in the fridge. Could you go pick some up from the store?"

Mr. Hopkins looked from Bonnie to the woman behind him in disbelief before getting up and grabbing his coat. Once he was gone, the figure spoke again.

"Sit down, Bonnie." She demanded, taking a seat herself.

Bonnie listened and sat down on the couch across from the woman, "Grams? I didn't think you were awake…"

"Child," Grams responded, laughing lightly to herself. "When your granddaughter storms into the house screaming that she is a witch, it is quite hard to sleep."

Bonnie blushed. She hadn't realised how loud she was being. As soon as she had believed what Stefan was saying, she needed answers. It wasn't her intention to be so loud.

"I-I'm sorry, Grams." Bonnie whispered, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to yell."

"Don't apologize, sweetheart." Grams smiled warmly at Bonnie. "It just means you're ready."

"Ready? What do you mean?" Bonnie questioned, her brows furrowing above her eyes.

"You're ready to hear about your witch ancestry."

Bonnie let out a small, but excited gasp.

* * *

><p>When Stefan arrived home after his long discussion with Bonnie, he found himself staring at Damon who was staring at himself in the mirror.<p>

"Checking yourself out, Damon?" Stefan asked, smiling to himself. Damon shot him an angry look before he continued playing with his hair in the mirror.

"Got a hot date with your next victim?" It pleased Stefan to have the chance to mock his older brother. Usually it was the other way around.

"Shut up, _brother_." Damon spat, trying his best to ignore Stefan's presence. Stefan laughed to himself as he lay down on Damon's bed.

"You don't want to lie there," Damon smirked to himself, not taking his eyes off of the mirror. "I've slept with countless hot women in that bed."

Stefan cringed before standing up again. For a few moments, the brothers stood in silence neither knowing what to say. Usually they had a number of insults to throw at one another. After a couple of minutes, Stefan opened his mouth again.

"You're getting worse at feeding and compelling," Stefan said, leaning against the wall outside Damon's bathroom. "I had to compel someone to forget that they saw you feeding on their sister."

Damon stopped playing with his hair and turned to face Stefan, "You mean blondie blue-eyes?"

Stefan nodded and looked at Damon angrily, "I had to clean your mess up. Again."

"I didn't attack his sister." Damon said, staring Stefan straight in the eyes. "I found her like that. I assumed you gave into your hunger, _finally_."

Stefan narrowed his eyes at his brother. He could usually tell when Damon was lying but this time his older brother was showing no signs. Stefan's bushy eyebrows furrowed as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"If it wasn't you… and it wasn't me…" Stefan thought out loud, shutting his eyes. "Does that mean there's another vampire in Mystic Falls?"

Damon shrugged his shoulders as he put his leather jacket on. He walked straight past Stefan without another word and made his way toward the door. Damon lifted his wrist slightly to check the time on his watch. It was 5:50. As Damon was about to reach the door, Stefan cut him off.

"You don't care that there's another vampire out there feeding on innocent people?"

Damon laughed. His laugh was dark. "No, _brother_. And neither should you."

"What if they feed on Elena?" Stefan asked. Stefan had noticed Damon's interest in the human Elena Gilbert. He figured she was the reason Damon had decided to stick around in Mystic Falls for so long.

Damon flinched at the mention of Elena. For a split second, Stefan thought he saw fear flash over his brother's face. The emotion was soon gone and replaced with Damon's usual cold expression.

"I've got a date to get to, Stef." Damon said, winking as he pushed past his younger brother. "Don't wait up for me."

* * *

><p>Matt had spent a couple of hours in the police station chatting with the sheriff. When they had finally cleared him of any suspicion relating to his sister, Matt made his way back to the hospital. One of the nurses who had been call all night led Matt to Vicki. When he got to the room, Vicki was sitting up and chatting animatedly with a dark-haired stranger. Matt had never seen this girl before. Her hair was long and curly. She wore a black shirt tucked into her black leather pants with knee-high boots. Matt and the nurse stood in awe at how well Vicki looked.<p>

"The doctors are saying it's a miracle," The nurse whispered, not able to take her eyes off of Vicki. "They didn't think she would survive the night… but look at her now!"

Matt stood at the door with his mouth hanging open. Eventually the nurse left Matt to stand by himself in awe. It took a few minutes before Vicki noticed her brother at the door.

"Matty!" She exclaimed happily, signalling him to come over for a hug. "Where have you been?"

Matt stood still. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the stranger who had just turned around to look at him. _It can't be…_ Matt thought to himself as his mouth dropped open lower. Vicki looked at her brother, "Matty? What's wrong?"

"E-elena?" Matt whispered, not tearing his eyes away from the girl sitting next to Vicki's bed. She had the exact same face as Matt's ex-girlfriend and friend, Elena. It was uncanny. Everything about her face was the same. The eyes, the eyebrows and the smile. The only difference was that this stranger was darker. Her smile was darker. Her eyes darker. Vicki let out a small laugh.

"Don't be silly, Matty." Vicki smiled at the girl sitting next to her bed, "That's not Elena. This is my friend, Katherine. She saved my life."

Katherine flashed Matt a seductive smile before standing up and walking over to him. She stuck out her hand without speaking a word. Matt reluctantly shook her hand. For a while, Matt just stared at Katherine's face. He couldn't believe how much she looked like Elena. They were identical.

"I-I'm sorry," He whispered, narrowing his blue eyes at Katherine. "You just look identical to my friend."

Katherine chuckled. Even her laugh was darker than Elena's light-hearted one.

"I forgive you, Matty-blue-eyes." Katherine responded, her voice seductive. She took a step closer to Matt. For a moment she stood there, breathing gently into his face. A second later, Katherine stepped around Matt and shut the door behind them. Matt furrowed his brows and felt his heart start to race. He never imagined he would be afraid of Elena's face, but in this moment he was terrified. Katherine laughed again before grabbing Matt's hand and forcing him to face her.

"Listen to me, Matty blue eyes…" She whispered seductively, waiting for her pupils to minimize. Once they were smaller, she narrowed her eyes and stared directly into his. "I'm still hungry, so I'm going to feed off of you. Don't be afraid, I promise I'll _try_ to be gentle."

Vicki clapped from her bed and watched excitedly as Katherine dug her fangs into Matt's neck. Matt grunted slightly but didn't scream. He couldn't understand why, but he wasn't scared at all. Katherine fed on his blood for a few minutes. Just before Matt ran out of blood, Katherine bit her own wrist and waited until she started to bleed. Once she had enough blood, Katherine placed her wrist against Matt's mouth. He was weak with only a small amount of blood left in his system. Without fighting, Matt started to drink Katherine's blood out of her wrist.

"Good boy," Katherine said, smiling to herself. Once Matt had finished drinking her blood, Katherine snapped his neck and watched as he fell to the ground.

"When your brother wakes up," Katherine placed her hand on the door knob and turned to face Vicki before she left, "Tell him to find the Salvatore brothers."


	5. Dark Reunion

Elena's heart was racing. As soon as Damon had left the hospital, she jumped up and down with joy and excitement. She was finally going to get to know this mysterious stranger in her life. This mysterious, attractive, _dark_ stranger. Once Damon was gone, Elena kissed Jenna on the forehead and left to go home to find an outfit to wear. There were still a few hours until she had to meet Damon, but it had been a long time since Elena had actually cared about what she was going to wear. When she got to her room, Elena stood in silence just staring at her closet. She had no idea what to wear. In front of her were a number of long-sleeved shirts of different colours. Elena moved her hand along the different shirts, still having no idea which one to pick. After standing in silence for a few minutes, Elena decided to give her friend a call.

"Hello?" Caroline answered the phone in her usual bubbly and excited tone, "Elena! Is that you? What's up?"

Elena was already starting to regret calling Caroline. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she wasn't sure that she would be able to deal with Caroline's bubbliness.

"Hey, Care," Elena responded, her voice soft. Elena took a seat on the edge of her bed before she continued, "I have a date tonight. I don't know what to wear."

Caroline shrieked over the phone excitedly. Elena could hear her open the door to her bedroom and run out.

"Hold on," Caroline demanded, her voice high-pitched, "I'll be right over! This is so exciting!"

Before Elena could protest, Caroline had hung up the phone.

* * *

><p>After her long talk with her grandma about her witch ancestry, Bonnie found herself trying to find Stefan's number in her phone. All she wanted to do was find out what Stefan knew about witches. Bonnie wanted as much information about this whole thing as she could get. A part of her always felt like she was different from everyone else. Bonnie could never quite put her finger on it. As kids, Elena and Bonnie used to joke about being witches but a part of Bonnie always felt like she actually was. She never told anyone that, especially not Elena. Now, years later, Bonnie finally had proof that she was exactly what she thought she was and it was all thanks to Stefan. Bonnie lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling with her phone above her face. She needed to talk to Stefan but she didn't know anything about him. She didn't know his number, or where he lives. She had no way of finding him. Bonnie's mind and heart were racing. She lay on her bed for a while, trying to think of any possible way that she could contact Stefan. It took some time, but Bonnie eventually remembered a conversation she had had with Caroline.<p>

"Caroline knows Stefan!" Bonnie exclaimed excitedly, sitting up and scrolling through her phone frantically. "I'm sure she has his number…"

Bonnie tried to sit still as the phone rang. A big smile was spread across her face when she heard Caroline pick up the phone.

"Two phone calls from my best friends in one day?" Caroline said, laughing to herself. "Everything is coming back together!"

Bonnie heard Elena groan in the background.

"Is Elena with you?" Bonnie asked, a little confused. Last time Elena and Bonnie discussed Caroline, Elena had said that she was one of the last people she ever wanted to see.

"Yep!" Caroline answered happily, "She's got a date with Damon Salvato-"

Bonnie could hear Elena telling Caroline to stop talking. A cold wind swept over Bonnie as she shut her eyes. _Damon Salvatore…_ she thought. Bonnie still had a bad feeling about him. Even the mention of his name made her shudder.

"What did you need, Bonbon?" Caroline asked, starting to sound concerned. It was obvious she had picked up on the awkwardness between Bonnie and Elena.

"You know Stefan, right? Do you have his number?" Bonnie waited patiently for an answer. It took Caroline a minute to respond.

"Um…" Caroline breathed, scrolling through her contacts. "Oh yeah! I have it! Do you want me to text it to you?"

Bonnie nodded. It took her a few seconds to realise that Caroline couldn't see her, "Yes!"

Bonnie thanked Caroline before hanging up the phone. She fell back against her bed and within seconds, she had a text from Caroline:

_Here y_a go, _Bonnie. _

_Btw, what's going on with you and Elena? _

_Tell me later, kay? Xoxo_

Bonnie ignored most of Caroline's text and clicked on the number she had sent through. Bonnie's heart was racing as she heard the phone ringing. It rang for a long time. Bonnie half expected it to go to voice mail. Just as she was about to hang up herself, Bonnie heard someone pick up the phone.

"Hello?" The voice answered. Bonnie recognised Stefan's warm voice and smiled to herself excitedly.

"Stefan, it's me. It's Bonnie," She began, trying to hide the excitement in her voice. "Turns out… you were right. I'm a witch. Can we talk?"

Bonnie heard Stefan let out a small chuckle. She waited nervously for a reply, twisting her curly hair around her finger.

"Sure," Stefan responded calmly, "I can meet you at the Grill?"

Bonnie nodded her head excitedly, "Yes! I'll meet you there."

Stefan laughed again before hanging up the phone. Bonnie did a small excited dance with her arms before standing up to find something to wear.

* * *

><p>Damon had been waiting at the Grill for over ten minutes. He had arrived a little early, forgetting how quickly he could get around. It had been a long time since Damon had been on a proper date. It had been a long time since Damon had <em>cared<em> about the person he was going on the date with. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Damon cared strongly about Elena. Ever since he first saw her on May 23rd, 2009, he had been interested in knowing her. For a year, Damon followed Elena's every move which, in hindsight wasn't very hard. She didn't do much after her mother's death, but Damon continued to watch her every day for a year. He was intrigued by her every movement. The way she would wake up in the morning and just stare out her window. The way she checked in on her brother multiple times throughout the day. He was even intrigued by how she would sit on the window seat in her room and spend hours just writing in her diary. It had been a long time since Damon had cared about anything, but there was something about this girl that sparked his interest. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, nor did he want to. Damon put a lot of energy into ignoring his feelings. The only feelings he had trouble ignoring were the feelings he had for Elena Gilbert.

Damon looked at his watch. The time was 6:10. Elena was officially late. Damon found himself staring at the entrance of the Grill, just waiting for Elena to walk in. At 6:15, Damon looked up from his table again and found himself staring at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Elena's long brown hair fell naturally against her shoulders, highlighting her protruding collarbones. She was wearing denim skinny jeans paired with a red tank top and black leather jacket. The outfit was casual but it complimented her body perfectly. Damon found it impossible to take his eyes off of her. She was a natural beauty. When Elena's gaze finally fell onto Damon's, she smiled happily and walked over to his table. Damon watched as she sat down and continued to smile at him. They both sat in silence for a moment before Elena finally spoke.

"Do you ever wear anything that isn't black?" She asked jokingly, secretly admiring the way his clothes looked against his body.

Damon blinked slowly, narrowing his blue eyes at Elena before he spoke, "Nope."

Elena stared back awkwardly, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Damon continued to stare at her with his eyes narrowed. Eventually his mouth broke out into a smirk, causing Elena to relax a little.

"You look beautiful." Damon complimented, not tearing his eyes away from her. Elena smiled in response, feeling her cheeks going warm. They both sat in silence again, sneaking innocent glances and smiles with one another. Damon had been waiting for a moment like this for over a year now. Ever since he met Elena on that dark night, he had wanted to meet with her alone again. Technically they were surrounded by lots of people in the Grill, but Damon felt as if it were just him and Elena in the room. Her beauty was all he needed tonight.

"Can I get you anything?" Damon asked as he stood up, "Food? A drink?"

"Both?" She responded, flashing a friendly smile. "I'd love some fries… and maybe some lemonade!"

Damon tried not to laugh, but failed. He let out a small laugh as he walked over to the bar to order some food and drinks. As he leaned against the bar and waited, he focused all his energy on his hearing. Damon listened as Elena fiddled in her bag to find some lipstick. He smirked to himself as he listened to her put it back in her bag. When the food and drinks were ready, Damon walked back over to the table and placed a bowl of fries in front of Elena with a cold glass of lemonade. He watched on as she smiled animatedly and started to eat. After a few seconds of shoving fries into her mouth, Elena stopped.

"I'm sorry…" She apologised, pushing the bowl of fries towards Damon, "Did you want some?"

Damon chuckled as his pushed the bowl of fries back towards Elena. He shook his head and continued to watch as she devoured them. Once she was finished, Elena slouched back in her chair.

"So, Damon," She breathed, looking him straight in the eyes, "Tell me about yourself."

Damon furrowed his brows and narrowed his beautiful blue eyes. He stared at Elena for a few moments, not sure of what to say.

"What do you want to know?"

Elena pondered on this for a while before speaking up again, "What are some of your hobbies?"

_Feeding on humans and using compulsion to get what I want… _Damon thought to himself, smiling darkly. Elena narrowed her chocolate brown eyes at him, waiting for a response.

"I like cars." Damon answered his voice hard. Elena could tell he wasn't going to elaborate.

"Do you collect them or something?" Elena continued, trying to get as much out of him as she could.

Damon nodded, still not saying anything more. Elena pondered on this for a moment, trying to think of a way to get him to talk more. After a few seconds of thinking, Elena had an idea.

"Can you show me?" She asked, flashing an adorable smile at Damon.

"Show you?" He responded, trying his best to ignore how cute she looked when she smiled.

"Your collection!" Elena said excitedly, picking up her bag and hanging it on her shoulder.

"You want to see my car collection?" Damon asked, looking at Elena quizzically. He searched her expression for any hint of humour or sarcasm but found nothing. She was being serious.

"Come on, Damon," She breathed, standing up and pushing her chair into the table. "Show me."

Damon watched as Elena turned and walked towards the door of the Grill. When she reached the exit, she turned back to face Damon. Elena flashed a seductive smile before exiting. Damon felt his heart race as he stood up and found himself following the beautiful Elena Gilbert.

* * *

><p>"So my Grams said I have witch ancestry from Salem," Bonnie explained excitedly, "Which sounds totally crazy but I totally believe it! Why else would I be having all of these <em>feelings<em>, right?"

Stefan and Bonnie had been sitting in the Grill now for over an hour. For the first half an hour or so, they both sat awkwardly trying to find the right things to say. It took both of them awhile to feel comfortable to finally speak properly.

"Salem witches?" Stefan asked, playing with the fries in front of him. "That's pretty cool."

Bonnie smiled to herself as she watched Stefan poke at his food. He had ordered fries for himself and for Bonnie soon after they sat down to chat. He even paid without any question. Bonnie admired that. Especially when she hardly even knew him.

"So how did you know I was a witch?" Bonnie asked, leaning against her elbow on the table. She continued to watch Stefan play awkwardly with his food.

"Would you believe me if I said I just had a feeling?" Stefan joked, looking up from his fries. Bonnie hadn't really noticed, but Stefan hadn't eaten a single one.

"Nope," Bonnie responded, throwing one of her fries at him. "I'm the one with the psychic feelings, not you. Unless… are _you_ a witch too?"

Stefan looked at Bonnie in disbelief. It took him a few moments to realise that she was being serious.

"Oh… no," He said, trying not to laugh. "I'm not a witch."

"Then what are you?"

Bonnie stared at Stefan intensely, narrowing her deep brown eyes at him for effect. She wasn't going to let Stefan avoid the question again. Bonnie waited patiently, watching as Stefan picked fries up just to drop them back down. Stefan didn't shift his gaze from the bowl of fries in front of him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" He whispered into the bowl of fries.

Bonnie leaned in towards Stefan, "Try me."

Stefan took a deep breath and finally looked up from his fries. When he caught Bonnie's gaze, he spoke again.

"I'm a vampire."

Bonnie couldn't help but laugh. For a few minutes that's all she did. Stefan watched on as Bonnie continued to laugh. He waited for her to finish before he continued.

"I was born in 1847."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at Stefan as she examined his expression. She couldn't find any signs of joking in his expression or his eyes. Bonnie waited patiently for Stefan to give her verbal proof that he was making this all up. When neither of them spoke for a few more seconds, Bonnie's felt her mouth drop open in disbelief.

"Wait… _WAIT_," She said, covering her mouth with her hand, "You aren't kidding!"

Stefan looked at Bonnie seriously, "No. No, I'm not kidding."

Before Stefan could elaborate, someone burst through the door of the Grill loudly. When both Bonnie and Stefan looked up, they found themselves staring at Matt Donovan. There was something different about him. Bonnie and Stefan exchanged concerned glances before they both stood up and ran over to Matt.

"Matt?" Bonnie grabbed on of Matt's arms and wrapped it around her shoulders. She watched as Stefan did the same with his other arm, "A-are you okay?"

Matt didn't look like his usual self. He had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, but his complexion was different. Although Matt had always been somewhat pale, there was something lifeless in how he looked. His usual warm and happy eyes had been replaced with dull, sad looking ones. For a split second, Matt and Bonnie locked eyes. When Bonnie looked away, she felt her heart racing. Matt had never looked at her in such a way before. For a split second, Bonnie felt like she was prey and Matt was her predator. Once the three of them were outside, Bonnie quickly removed Matt's arm from her shoulder and took a step away.

"W-what's wrong with you, Matt?" She asked hesitantly, keeping her distance. When he didn't respond, Bonnie shifted her gaze to Stefan, "What's wrong with him, Stefan?"

Stefan didn't take his eyes off of Matt. He looked him up and down. When they locked eyes, Stefan figured out what was happening.

"He's in transition." Stefan said, not tearing his eyes away from Matt.

"What does that even mean?" Bonnie asked, her breathing fast. She couldn't even try to hide her fear. Bonnie was afraid. Stefan tore his gaze from Matt for a split moment to shoot Bonnie an apologetic look. Even though this wasn't Stefan's fault, he felt bad that Bonnie had to deal with all this information in one night.

"It means…" Stefan pinned Matt down to the car behind them before finishing, "It means that he's transitioning into a vampire and he's hungry."

Bonnie let out a loud gasp and covered her mouth with both of her hands. Her heart started to pound as she felt Matt's eyes on her again. Bonnie never thought she would find herself terrified of Matt Donovan, the sweetest boy she had ever been friends with. She tried to keep her gaze on anything but Matt, but after a few minutes of trying to avoid his gaze, Bonnie gave in. She stared at Matt's usually lively blue-eyes. When she looked into them now, they were dull and dark. All she saw was a predator looking at his prey.

"Get out of here, Bonnie." Stefan demanded, keeping Matt pinned down against the truck. "_Now_."

Not even trying to protest, Bonnie ran off, tears falling out of her eyes. She didn't look back, not even once.

* * *

><p>It had only taken Damon about half an hour to show Elena his "collection" of cars. So far Damon only had three: A red 1963 Porsche 356B Karmann Coupe, a blue 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible and a vintage 1971 Buick GS.<p>

"Technically one of these cars is my brother's." Damon admitted once he and Elena had left the garage, "The red 1963 Porsche… but I like to pretend it's mine."

Elena giggled. She had half expected Damon to have a whole room full of cars, but she was somewhat relieved when he only had three. Elena would have found him a little bit creepy if he had more than three cars all to himself.

"I like the blue one," Elena said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "The… 1960-something Camaro?"

"The 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible…" Damon corrected her, letting out a small chuckle.

Damon and Elena stood outside in the dark for a while in silence. The stars were out and it was starting to get a bit chill. Elena found herself shivering as they both stared at the stars. Damon caught on and took off his jacket, placing it on Elena's shoulders.

"Oh, thanks." Elena nodded, shooting Damon a wide smile. "It's getting a little cold out now."

"Should I drive you home?" Damon offered, watching Elena stand out in the cold was making him feel oddly protective. Even though he couldn't control the weather, Damon wasn't happy seeing Elena freeze.

"Would that be okay?" She responded, looking up innocently. Without speaking, Damon grabbed Elena by the hand and led her to his Camaro. He opened the door for her and watched as she climbed in. Once she had her seatbelt on and was comfortable, Damon shut the door on her and climbed into the driver's seat.

"It's even cooler on the inside." Elena said out loud, admiring Damon's car. Damon smirked to himself, pleased that Elena was enjoying his most treasured car. When he had his own seatbelt on, Damon turned on the engine and reversed out of the garage. Damon started down the driveway, making his way to the main road. When he reached the road, Damon indicated right and continued on his way. The whole drive to Elena's house was silent. Elena watched as Damon drove to her house without even needing instructions. Not wanting to say anything, Elena kept her mouth shut until Damon drove into her driveway.

"H-how did you know where I live?" Elena breathed her heart racing. She was sure that she had never told Damon where she lived.

"Didn't you tell me before we left?" Damon answered calmly. He was lying. Damon had been watching Elena for over a year now. He knew the way to her house like the back of his hand. Damon could feel and hear Elena's heart racing. She was scared of him.

"N-no…" Elena stuttered, fumbling to take her seatbelt off. As soon as it was off, Elena opened the passenger door and climbed out. She started up the driveway before Damon finally got out of the car.

"Elena, wait!" Damon yelled after her, speed-walking to catch up with her. "Let me explain."

"_No_," Elena responded, taking a few steps away from Damon. "I don't have time for some creepy stalker... my Aunt and my friend's sister are in the hospital because of freak animal attacks. Weird things are happening… and I-I don't have time for this."

Elena rushed to the front door and made her way inside without looking behind her. When she was in the safety of her home, Elena fell against the door in tears. She was overwhelmed. She was worried about Jenna and about Vicki. Now she was terrified of Damon on top of it all. At first he had just been some handsome stranger who had intrigued her. Now he was some handsome stranger who somehow knew where she lived without her ever telling him. Elena's whole body was shaking. She was finally starting to feel like herself again with Damon. Her night with him at the grill and then in his garage had solidified the feelings she was starting to have for him. Even though Elena hardly knew anything about him, she felt a strong connection with him. He made her feel like she could be herself without having to pretend to be someone else. As Elena sat on the ground in tears, she felt someone behind the door. Damon was outside on her porch, leaning against the other side of the door. With his extra good hearing, Damon could hear Elena crying. He felt another pang of the emotion he tried so hard to ignore. Elena took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She could feel Damon behind the door and didn't want him to know that he had such control over her emotions. Elena wiped the tears away from her eyes before opening her eyes and standing up. Once Elena was standing and her eyes were open, she was faced with something she thought she would never see.

"Hello," A voice breathed, "_Elena_."

Elena had stopped breathing. In front of her stood a girl who shared her face. It was like looking into a mirror. Elena's mouth dropped open as her eyebrows furrowed above her eyes. _This is impossible_… Elena thought as she watched the figure in front of her take a step closer.

"I'm Katherine." The girl introduced herself, sticking her arm out. "It's nice to finally meet you."

From outside the door, Elena could hear Damon yelling. She was in too much shock to hear what he was saying. All she could focus on was the girl in front of her. She had the same eyes, same nose, same mouth… same facial features. She looked like an identical twin. Elena didn't have a twin that she knew of. Damon continued to bang on the door, begging Elena to open it. She still couldn't hear him. Katherine took another step towards Elena and flashed a menacing smile. Everything that happened next happened so fast that Elena could hardly process it. One second, Katherine was standing right in front of her with a few steps distance in between them. The next second, Katherine had her teeth digging into Elena's neck.

"_Don't scream_." Katherine whispered, staring Elena in the eyes. Elena felt a weird feeling wash over her. Even though she wanted to, Elena couldn't scream. All she could do was watch as Katherine feed on her blood.

"ELENA!" Damon screamed as he kicked in the door, "Get off of her!" Damon threw his whole body and strength against Katherine, knocking her off of Elena and onto the ground. Elena's eyes shut suddenly as she fell to the ground.

"Hello, Damon." Katherine whispered, biting Damon's ear seductively. "It's good to finally see you again."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Hello wonderful readers! Thank you for reading my newest fanfic & my first TVD fan fic! :-) I'm not sure if anyone IS actually reading... but if you are, I would appreciate a review! I'm kind of writing on a whim at the moment. I'd love to hear what you readers would like to see happen, or I'd just love to have some constructive criticism! Do you like the story? Do you hate it? How could I make it better and more enjoyable for you?:)

Thank you sweeties! I'd love any review. Even if you just let me know that you ARE reading so I have more motivation to post more chapters. I'm having a lot of fun with this story though. So I hope you guys are too!


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